Why do we need crown?

[Ron Nossaman]

> All the discussion about crowned ribs, panels and such led me to a question:
> Why is there a need for crown in a soundboard?
> If one would use a flat panel with adequately proportioned ribs, such as to
> provide the necessary stiffness of the panel and resistance to the down
> bearing of the strings, wouldn't the soundboard work just as well?
> Yes, it would probably be bent in a reversed crown, but I really don't see a
> problem with that for now.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Calin Tantareanu


For that matter, do you need bearing? I don't know why an 
entirely different dynamic balance between strings and 
soundboard than we're used to couldn't work quite well. Wayne 
Stewart's piano, for instance, has neither bearing, nor crown, 
and sounds very nice to some. My ear says the tone falls apart 
at above moderate volume levels. The kilo or two of brass 
agraffes on the bridges is, I think, the only reason it works 
at all, and if he'd put in some cutoff bars and substantially 
beef up the ribbing, the tone would hold together much better 
at higher attack levels. Then you'd have a no crown no bearing 
piano that works, but still sounds somewhat different than 
we're used to, which isn't necessarily bad.
Ron N